The town has urged businesses to propose creative options for new or expanded offerings as the state reopens during its COVID-19 recovery, and Cafe Mangal‘s bid is to offer dining on the nearby Town Hall green. The rear of the Cafe Mangal building faces toward the open space.

The green, which figures to be quieter this summer without the usual Wednesday night concerts, would give the restaurant (and maybe others?) more space than they have on the sidewalks in front of their locations or indoors, now that Phase 2, Part 2 of the state’s reopening plan will allow for indoor dining beginning next week.

The Natural Resources Commission discussed the issue at its meeting this week and ultimately voted to give Director Brandon Schmitt the go-ahead to craft a permit allowing Cafe Mangal to use the space temporarily. But not without reservations from some members about taking away what’s become more crowded and limited open space during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initial proposal involved putting up 10 tables and 20 chairs in a roughly 1,500-square foot space in the Town Hall “bowl” behind the restaurant. The proposed hours are from 10AM-5PM. More details need to be worked out before this goes forward, however.